


Fruit Tart

by poetandthemuse



Category: We Happy Few (Video Game)
Genre: Break Up, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 12:05:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15461001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poetandthemuse/pseuds/poetandthemuse
Summary: Arthur gets promoted to Employee of the Year! And get's a shiny new office to show it! Clive is not too happy about it and Arthur learns how much of a little shit Clive actually is.





	Fruit Tart

It was an average Friday afternoon at the office, or at least it was supposed to be. Arthur was just unplugging his power cell from the redactor when there was a knock at the door.

“Oh, come on in!” He called out, expecting it to be Ms. Byng checking in on how he was settling in his new office space. The door opened and in stepped Clive Birtwhistle, who made sure to lock the door behind him.

“Hello Arthur, I see congratulations are in order.” He smiled as he gestured around the office. His smile seemed more forced than just from his happy mask. “First you win employee of the month, now look at you! Employee of the year!” Clive pointed to the recently fixated plaque on the wall, announcing Arthurs title to the possibly uninformed visitors to his office. “You really have outdone yourself.”

Arthur watched as Clive paraded around his office with his arms behind his back. “Thank you, Clive, but I couldn’t have done it without your support these last few months.”

Clive stopped mid-march, looking pleased by the acknowledgment as he gazed out the window. “You really do have a great view, Dear.”

Arthur couldn’t stop himself from flinching a bit at the pet name. “We’re at work!” Arthur hissed, almost pleading. Those words of endearment were only supposed to be whispered in the safety of home.

Clive just stared out the window for what seemed like an eternity to Arthur, his eyes were fixated on Clive's mouth waiting for him to finally speak. But nothing came. Arthur found himself finally asking. “Are we still getting dinner tonight?”

“Unfortunately not. Wife’s home tonight.”

“How does she being home cancel our plans?”

“Oh, I forgot to say. Wife and I are back together. We talked things out.” Even with his mask, it was difficult for Arthur to hide his disappointment about the news. The smallest “oh.” was all he could muster.

Clive moved over to Arthur’s desk, hoisting himself to sit on top. He crossed his long legs and he looked down at Arthur who was sitting back in his chair. “Or even better.” Clive began, leaning forward and pulling Arthur towards him by the tie. He firmly placed a kiss on Arthur’s lips. “We could keep this little liaison going. She doesn’t need to know and it makes work far more tolerable.” For a moment Arthur was tempted to agree, wanting to seal the deal and kiss Clive. But the guilt made the idea that he was even tempted, knot his stomach up.

Arthur pushed Clive an arm's length away. “I’m not some… Some tart that you can nibble at when you’re still hungry Clive!”

“Oh don’t be like that! I just don’t want what we have together to go to waste!”

“W-W-Wasted! Maybe you should have thought about that before getting back with your Wife!” Arthur had a bad tendency to stammer more as his aggravation got worse.

“Do you really think that we’re the type of people intended to be happy together Arthur?” He chuckled. “It’s much easier to pretend to be happy with the scraps you get, to be honest.”

“I can’t believe you! Just last week you said I made you happier than you had ever been with Theresa and now you’re back together with her! Why?” Arthur wasn’t sure if he really wanted to know the truth. It was, after all, his job to remove the unpleasant truth from people's lives. Perhaps, Arthur had a natural aversion to the bitter truth?

“You want the truth? Honestly, you’re doing too well here. Employee of the year? You really think a man like myself enjoys being outshined? Arthur, you know damn well I am the one who deserves this view. And for you to take Jacob’s old office right from under me? I’m supposed to just be happy for you?”

Sally always told Arthur that if a man expected you to dumb yourself down for them that they weren’t worth your time. She had also said, when she met Clive at the Christmas party last year, that she thought he was a little shit. Arthur hated that she always had a tendency to be right.

“So, from what I am gathering from this is that you’re breaking it off with me because I’m too successful for you?”

Clive appeared to be taken aback by Arthur’s phrasing. “No, that’s not it.”

“Then what is it then?”

Silence was all Arthur got from him.

“You know what? I’m done. Theresa deserves far better than the likes of you. Would you kindly leave?”

“So this is it then Hastings? Nothing from the past year can entice you to stay? None of our evenings? None of our kisses? None of our-”

“Good day Mr. Birtwhistle. See you on Monday, have a pleasant weekend.” Arthur's voice was raised and firm and it was apparent that Clive knew better than to continue arguing with him. Clive removed his bony arse from Arthur’s desk, and Arthur knew better than to watch him leave. Arthur pointedly directed his gaze to his redactor's dark screen, he refused to even breath until he heard his office door open and click shut and Clive’s door slammed behind him. Arthur exhaled right before he heard glass shatter against the wall between their offices, followed by muffled cursing from Clive.

Arthur slumped back against his chair and held his head in his hands. Instinctively, he reached for his bottle of Joy, popping it open and playing with the pill in his hands. This little pill would help him handle the blow from Clive and the loneliness the next few months would have in store for him and without any hesitation, he took his joy. Maybe it was the joy, but Arthur could not help but smile as he heard Clive continue his tantrum.


End file.
